GROUND OPERATION IN RAFAH CRUCIAL, ISRAEL PM NETANYAHU TELLS BIDEN

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will go ahead with the ground operation in Rafah, despite global concerns, and he has told US President Joe Biden about the same, the Times of Israel reported.

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“We have a disagreement with the Americans about the need to enter Rafah,” Netanyahu told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday.

“Not about the need to eliminate Hamas -- the need to enter Rafah. We do not see a way to eliminate Hamas militarily without destroying these remaining battalions. We are determined to do it,” Netanyahu said.

The Israeli PM said that there is no way to destroy or eliminate Hamas other than the ground operation.

“I made it clear to the president in our conversation, in the clearest way, that we are determined to complete the elimination of these battalions in Rafah,” said Netanyahu. “There is no way to do it, except by going in on the ground.”